Festive, Flavorful Gifts

Dec 07, 2015 05:11AM
● Published by Family Features

Food is a gift from the heart. It’s one-size-fits-all, and you don’t need to fight the crowds at the mall or worry about blowing your budget. Whether for holiday presents or hostess gifts, receiving something homemade is truly what the season is about: sharing comfort and good cheer.

For a festive twist to your delectable goodies, look no further than your freezer. Aside from their bright, joyful color, frozen red raspberries’ sweet and tart flavors make them versatile from a culinary standpoint, complementing and enhancing a wide range of ingredients. These jubilant rubies are also nutritional powerhouses, boasting the most fiber and the lowest natural sugar content compared to other berries.

Fun, Festive, Frozen Raspberries
Not only do raspberries lend the perfect seasonal hue to homemade gifts from the kitchen, these bright red berries offer numerous nutritional and other benefits, according to Lisa Samuel, RDN, MBA of NourishRDs.com. Frozen raspberries, which are available year-round, offer:

80 calories per cup, with no added sugar or preservatives

More fiber than any other berry at 9 grams per cup

One of the lowest in natural sugar content compared to other berries

High in vitamin C, providing 60 percent of the Recommended Daily Value per cup

Convenience and consistent quality right out of the freezer, with no waste or spoilage

Frozen at peak ripeness

These recipes are sure to warm your friends’ and family members’ hearts with the taste of the holidays. Find more recipes worth sharing this holiday season at redrazz.org.

Raspberry Greek Yogurt Bark

Ingredients

2 cups plain, reduced-fat (2%) Greek yogurt

1 lemon, zest only

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preparation

Line small baking pan with aluminum foil.

In medium bowl, combine first 3 ingredients. Stir until well incorporated.

Add berries, pistachios and almonds to mixture. Fold in until well incorporated. Spread mixture in baking pan and place in freezer for about 2-3 hours, or until hardened.

Once hardened, remove bark from pan and either cut or break up into pieces. Allow to thaw about 5 minutes before eating.

Red Raspberry Fruit Leather

Ingredients

1 package (12 ounces) frozen red raspberries, thawed

1/3 cup sugar or honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Heat oven to 170°F.

Line two baking pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Pour raspberry mixture on both pans and smooth into thin layer, less than 1/8-inch thick.

Bake 3 hours or until mixture is no longer wet, but still slightly tacky, rotating every hour and alternating levels.

Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until blended. Do not over mix. Spoon equal amounts of batter in each muffin tin. Place equal amounts of raspberries on top of each muffin.

Bake 20-22 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

Meanwhile in small bowl, combine topping ingredients and set aside.

Remove muffins from oven, place on wire rack and immediately sprinkle with topping. Let stand 15 minutes to continue to cook and absorb flavors. Remove muffins from pan and cool completely on wire rack before storing.

Store cooled leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator up to 48 hours or freeze up to 1 month.

Raspberry Salsa

Ingredients

1 Pink Lady or other tart-sweet apple, cored and diced

2 cups peeled jicama, diced

1/3 cup raspberry vinegar

1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 bag (12 ounces) frozen raspberries

Preparation

In large bowl, toss apple and jicama with vinegar. Add all remaining ingredients and toss to blend. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.